Mentorship for Young Budding Botanists

Now accepting new applications for 2024

We are delighted to announce a partnership with Fieldlife Environmental Consultants & Ecological Services to provide a unique mentorship opportunity.

Those selected will receive experience in vegetation ecology and Species at Risk surveys from a qualified professional and expert Botanist. Botanical work will be focused on vegetation surveys along the length of the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve between Tobermory and Queenston Heights, Ontario. The project will culminate in the publication of a book on the flora. In memorandum of the late Ann Bard, who kindly donated her time, energy and services to staff and students of the EARTHQUEST Biological Field School by allowing us to use her Bed and Breakfast while hiking the Bruce Trail we would like to dedicate all proceeds from the sale of this book to be donated to the Bruce Trail Conservancy.  Please view this video in Ann's honour (If you have any trouble viewing this video please go to this link).

Survey methodology will consist of hiking the trail system with an expert Botanist and recording all plants found. Photographs of plants and their habitat from volunteers may be credited in the book. You could also be asked to contribute written sections to the book content. Hiking may take several hours to full 8 hour days traveling an average of 4 - 12 km per hike. Hikes are mainly organized on weekend dates, weather permitting.

Volunteers may also be selected to survey Species at Risk vegetation within a Provincial Park in the Port Burwell, Ontario area.  Volunteers selected for this project may be asked to undergo data sensitivity training. Other volunteer opportunities may involve assisting with guided hikes on behalf of Fieldlife Services.

Who is this Mentorship opportunity most suited for?

This position is open to all, but preference will be given to beginners who need the experience and mentorship. For those who do not have the botanical skills necessary to participate we highly recommend taking plant courses from the EARTHQUEST Biological Field School. Students and volunteers may take courses for discounted rates. Enrollment in an EARTHQUEST course is highly encouraged in order to participate in the work schedule.  Please visit our website for details:

http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/Plantcourses.htm
https://earthquestcanada.wixsite.com/plantcourses/field-botany-mentorship

Roles and Duties

The role and duties of this unique volunteer opportunity includes:

• Assisting staff with botanical surveys in search of Ontario Species at Risk;
• Learning intimately about vegetation ecology, survey protocols and methodology, native plant, Species at Risk and invasive plant identification and data collection. This includes plants which are notoriously difficult to identify such as asters, goldenrods, grasses, sedges and rushes;
• Contributing valuable data to a much needed and anticipated book for land management purposes, conservation and research

What is the benefit of becoming a Volunteer Botanist?

•Become more attractive to employers seeking candidates with skills in field botany, GIS and database management;
•Receive hands-on practical training and field experience in the environmental field within several disciplines – field Botany, GIS and database management;
•Gain professional connections and networking opportunities;
•Gain valuable insight and experience with the vegetation ecology of one of Ontario’s premier geological land formations;
•Get to know the Niagara Escarpment and meet new people;
•Learn GIS skills associated with how to map vegetation communities and populations;
•Learn about the environmental assessment process as it relates to conducting vegetation surveys in Ontario;
•Acquire skills associated with data collection and database management using MicroSoft software (i.e. Excel and Access)

Qualifications of candidates

•Comfortable working outdoors in all weather conditions;
•Enthusiastic with a sense of humor;
•Comfortable hiking and working in small groups;
•Able to work independently and as part of a team;
• A strong communicator with ability to take notes and photographs;
•A desire to learn and work with a mentor, taking a botany course if necessary;
• Reasonable with time management, judging hiking distances and aerial photo interpretation;
•Willing to spend time entering data into a database;
• Experience or interest in pursuing botany or a career in the environmental field;
• Experience working in the outdoors;
• Previous volunteer experience

Time Commitment

Volunteer work takes place primarily over weekend dates, not including statuatory holidays. Volunteer Botanists are asked to commit to volunteering a minimum of once per month from May – October, approximately 4 – 8 hours per hike. You will spend up to 2 – 4 hours per day entering data collected from field visits into the database. Alternatively, you may choose to spend up to 1 month entering data after program completion (i.e. November, 2023).  Volunteers who contribute the most vascular plant records will be awarded the Ann Bard Award at the close of their mentorship.

Application Procedure

We can only accept a limited number of volunteers for this mentorship opportunity. All applicants must complete the following steps to be considered for this unique program:

*Attend an interview with EARTHQUEST staff;
*Research the Niagara Escarpment and know the local topography, flora, time and distance required to hike between sites;
* Attend a field botany training session designed to help determine your botanical inventory rate

To be considered please submit a letter telling us why you wish to join this program, your qualifications, commitment to receiving mentorship and training from experienced professionals, desire to take plant courses along with your resume and three references.

Testimonials

To view comments from previous participants of this program please visit:

https://www.goabroad.com/providers/earthquest-canada-for-the-environment/programs/mentorship-in-field-botany-142506

Deadline to Apply

May 1, 2024

For further information about this program, please email us at earthquestcanada@yahoo.com

Rare plants of Turkey Point Field Botanists of Ontario field trip

Hot, humid weather did not deter 7 Field Botanists of Ontario (FBO) members from attending my field trip in search of rare plants of the Turkey Point area.  The trip started behind the Fish Hatchery to view planted specimens of provincially and federally threatened Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) and special concern Blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata).  We then ventured to an open sand barren community to look for provincially rare Spotted horsemint (Mondarda punctata) and Green milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora).  A new record for the Norfolk county list of the official EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database was Pinesap (Monotropa hypopithys), discovered by Burke Korol.

Pinesap (Monotropa hypopithys)

Photo: Dave Jolly

Provincially rare Bristly buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus var. hispidus) was observed along the trail path while attempting to find provincially rare Yellow bartonia (Bartonia virginica), but this plant was not located since it was too early in it's life stage to be viewed.

A search along 400 m of a hydro corridor revealed 5 Species at Risk and rare plants; provincially rare Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata),

Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

Photo: Dave Jolly

Moss phlox (Phlox subulata), Fern leaved yellow foxglove (Aureolaria pedicularia), endangered Virginia goat's-rue (Tephrosia virginiana) and Bird's-foot violet (Viola pedata).

FBO members (Sarah Mainguy; lower left, Burke Korol, Miles Hearn; center) and Tony Zammit; far right photographing SAR plants along hydro corridor
Photo: Dave Jolly

The third stop was along a sand road to observe provincially rare Dwarf chinquapin oak (Quercus prinoides), then transversing another sand barren for provincially rare Plain puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniensis) and Wild, or Sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis).  A hike through provincially rare Dry Black Oak - Pine Tallgrass Savannah Type (SVMM1-2) led to endangered Spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) adjacent to provincially rare Round leaved Tick-trefoil (Desmodium rotundifolia).

Round leaved Tick-trefoil (Desmodium rotundifolium)

Photo: Dave Jolly

Overall, the FBO field trip had a total of 13 SAR and rare plants within the Turkey Point area with the hydro corridor as the highlight.

May, 2015 Plant hunt summary

With some warmer days nestled in between cooler days, the month of May was very productive with a total of 25 counties surveyed.  A total of 258 species were documented.  The record was 420 species set in May, 2012.  The most new records for a county were added for Manitoulin with 33 plant species.  Of these, the most significant was provincially rare Ram's-head Lady's-lipper (Cypripedium arietinum).  According to the Flora of Manitoulin Island (3rd) published by the University of Waterloo in 2000, this record is new for where it was found.

Ram's-head Lady's-lipper (Cypripedium arietinum) 

(Photo: Dave Jolly)

The month of May was very productive with a total of 25 counties surveyed.  The most new records for a county were added for Manitoulin with 38 plant species.  I was pleased to work with Mr. Darryl Boyes on Manitoulin Island, who was very helpful with documenting the flora.  Five new plant species; Berry exciting (Corydalis shimienensis), Few flowered spike rush (Eleocharis pauciflora), Hair-like sedge (Carex capillaris), London Plane-tree (Platanus hybrida) and Straight-styled wood sedge (Carex radiata) were added to the database.  Additionally, a new county was surveyed - Renfrew - in eastern Ontario.  

While surveying Grey county Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum) was added to Dave Jolly's Ontario master plant list.  Shown below is the trillium in the later stages of flowering.  At this stage, the petals are reduced to ribbons.

Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum) 

(Photo: Dave Jolly)

Collectively, Dave has documented 1694 flowering date records and observed 69 families, 168 genera, 263 species since April, 2015.

Mr. Brian Popelier contributed 30 records during the month of April for Hamilton, Halton and Grey counties. His record of Daphne (Daphne mezereum) was new for Grey county.

Dean Fitzgerald discovered a flowering American beech (Fagus grandifolia) in Parry Sound county on May 13th.  This is a new record for this county.

A field practicum in Mississauga for staff of ACER was conducted on May 25th yielding 8 families and 8 genera covered in the Level 1 & 2 FBT tree & shrub courses.

Staff from ACER Nimesha Basnayaka (center), Mike McMillan (right)

(Photo: Dave Jolly)

Thank you to all contributors for this month's records.

You may find the plant hunt summary results at; May summary

April, 2015 Plant hunt summary

An unusually cold winter contributed to a late spring with most flowers blooming at least 2 weeks behind normal schedule.  In 2013 provincially rare Harbinger of Spring (Erigenia bulbosa) began blooming on April 9th.  This year it bloomed on April 18th.  Moreover, this is the first time that I have observed  blooming on May 1st.  Surveys of this population of E. bulbosa exhibited a marked increase in the total number of plants by 2.5 x with 288 plants counted. Of these 198 were 2 leaved plants and 2 were seedlings.  No seedlings were found in 2014.

A field training course at Cawthra Woods, Mississauga, Ontario for the Association for Canadian Education Resources/Climate's Sake (ACER) staff contributed three new flowering date records for Peel region - all of which were cultivated or introduced species; Siberian squill (Scilla siberica), Croccus (Croccus longiflorus) and Grape hyacinth (Muscari botyroides).  We also discovered a new record for Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) and European spindletree (Euonymus europaea), but these shrubs were not flowering.  I would like to thank ACER for hosting a great day with their staff.

Staff from ACER at Tree & Shrub field training course at Cawthra Woods, Mississauga, Ontario (Photo: Dave Jolly)

A total of 18 counties were inventoried during the month of April; Brant, Cochrane, Elgin, Grey, Halton, Hamilton, Middlesex, Muskoka, Norfolk, Oxford, Peel, Simcoe, Sudbury, Toronto, Nippissing, Temiskaming, Waterloo and York.  New records for Sudbury county included Large toothed aspen (Populus grandidentata) and Silver maple (Acer saccharinum).  These were also new species added for Nippissing county, while Large toothed aspen was new for Cochrane county and Speckled alder (Alnus incana) was new for Temiskaming county.  Two hundred and eighty records were tallied with a 51 species recorded.  The highest number of species recorded in the month of April was set in 2012 with 210 species.  

I would like to thank Yves Scholten for contributing a record for Sharp-lobed hepatica (Anemone acutiloba) in Halton region on April 12th and Dean Fitzgerald for contributing a new record for Waterloo region of Bethlehem sage (Pulmonaria officinalis) on April 30th.

We are pleased to ccongratulate Kim McCormack, who took our Level 1 & 2 FBT terrestrial plant + Level 3 Asters and Goldenrods of Ontario courses in 2013, for getting a job with Credit Valley Conservation as their Natural Areas Inventory Assistant!  Kim will be continuing to expand and sharpen her vascular plant field ID skills as one of my apprentices by accompanying me on EARTHQUEST projects and performing plant surveys.  If you wish to assist with these  endeavours to contribute to worthwhile projects simply contact me at; earthquestcanadaATyahoo.com.  The projects we're targeting in 2015 are;

1.  Bruce Trail Project; hiking along the trail (white blazed) from Dundas to Burlington for the Bruce Trail Conservancy (volunteer)
2.  Ruthven National Historic Site vegetation surveys around their mist nets to assess which fruits the birds are eating during migration (volunteer)
3.  Field Botanists of Ontario (FBO) field trip in search of SAR and rare plants of Turkey Point ($20 participation fee which goes to the FBO - volunteer)
4.  Various site visits to natural areas in Ontario to contribute to the master EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database (volunteer)

As a correction to the April summary Brian Popelier was kind enough to submit 30 additional records for Grey & Hamilton county as well as Halton region.  His discovery of Daphne (Daphne mezereum) is a new record for Grey county!

To view the revised 2015 April summary please download here

Field trip to Black Oak Heritage Park, Windsor, Ontario

On September 6th, 2014 I participated in an annual field trip led by the Field Botanists of Ontario.  The trip was well attended and demonstrated some of the unique Black Oak savannah habitat found in the Windsor area.  A couple of rare plants were added to the official EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database such as provincially rare Tall Thoroughwort (Eupatorium altissimum).

Tall Thoroughwort

Photo: Dave Jolly

Special concern Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii) was a new tree species for this section of the Park.  This contributes to the 500+ trees recorded for Essex county.  In fact, this oak species is one of the most dominant trees in Essex county within woodlots anywhere on the Clay plain in this region.  All other Shumard Oak reside primarily within Essex and Lambton counties extending eastward to Chatham-Kent.  Of the 10 sites were visited between June 18 and September 2, 2014 only these regional municipalities had Shumard Oak.  Previous Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) reports suggested that the range of this species reaches Niagara region, but these records have are now regarded as suspected hybrids based on visual identification traits; acorns, leaf buds, leaf shape, tomentum (tufts of hairs located on the leaf underside between the mid-rib and veins), etc.  To date, none of the Niagara region trees examined have been confirmed as 100% pure Shumard Oak.  Instead, they are likely hybrids between Red Oak (Quercus rubra) and Swamp Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) since both species were present at the sites investigated.  The resulting hybrid is Q. rubra x Q. palustris if it exhibits more Red Oak traits and Q. palustris x Q. rubra if it exhibits more Swamp Pin Oak traits.  Genetic studies would ultimately clear up any misconceptions about the true distribution of Shumard Oak in Canada.

New to the database was Swamp Lousewort (Pedicularis lanceolata), which was adjacent to a large patch of Colicroot (Aletris farinosa).  With the high biodiversity of  Tallgrass prairie mixed with Black Oak savannah species.  The most exciting discovery was a new record for Essex county of endangered Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) to add to the Ontario Recovery Strategy series.

Spotted Wintergreen

Photo: Dave Jolly

April, 2014 Plant hunt summary

A record cold winter has resulted in a late spring with most flowering plants blooming 2 - 3 weeks behind schedule.  With only 41 species observed in April we matched the last late spring with 43 species recorded in 2007.  That means floristically, southern Ontario hasn't experienced such a cool and late spring in 7 years.  Trilliums (Trillium spp.) are only just beginning to bloom, when in normal years, they would be in full bloom by now - i.e., May 1st.  The only flowering plant observed that didn't seem to be affected by the late spring was the ephimeral Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa).

Harbinger of spring (Erigenia bulbosa)

Photo: Brian Popelier

Rare plant surveys began with provincially rare Harbinger of spring (ranked S3 in Ontario by the Natural Heritage Information Centre) on April 13th with a total of 116 plants counted in Elgin county.  An age structure analysis revealed 44 two-leaved plants, which are more mature and tend to produce 2 or more flowering stalks.  This population will be revisited later this month to count the total number of flowers that have gone to seed and if any new, younger plants have emerged.  A number of rare plant surveys will be carried out this year within the Grand River watershed on behalf of the Grand River Conservation Authority.

A total of 221 plants were observed in April across 6 counties, Brant, Elgin, Haldimand, Hamilton, Oxford and Norfolk.  All 403 Elgin county records were donated to the Otter Valley Naturalists (OVN) for their Elgin County Natural Heritage Inventory (NAI), which is hosted by Carolinian Canada Coalition.  A master plant species list of all plants observed in Elgin county since the inception of the EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database in 2006 was donated to OVN for the Elgin county NAI.  This amounted to 17,022 records; 127 families, 417 genera, 758 species, or taxa (7 varieties, 7 hybrids); 104 regionally rare (Ecoregion 7E), 102 locally rare (Elgin county), 22 provincially rare, 9 Species at Risk (provincial & federal).  The OVN will use the EARTHQUEST master plant list of Elgin county to build the official list for the NAI.

New records for the county of Oxford in April, 2014 were Cutleaf toothwort (Dentaria concatenata), Giant blue cohosh (Caulophyllum giganteum) and Plantain leaved sedge (Carex plantaginea).

To view the April, 2014 monthly summary report please go to; http://earthquestcanada.ca/April2014summary.pdf

August, 2013 Plant hunt summary

August, 2013 was a fantastic month with 15 new records for the master EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database between two contributors; Brian Popelier of the Bruce Trail Conservancy and myself.  A total of 2492 records were submitted.  We also broke the old record of 339 species in 2009 with 361 total species observed in August.  The highlights were: the discovery of two small populations of federally special concern & provincially threatened Houghton's goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii) in the upper Bruce peninsula by Brian on August 13th.  I visited these populations on August 27th and submitted my observations to the author of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recovery strategy for Houghton's goldenrod, which is due to be published sometime after late June, 2014.

Houghton's goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii)

Photo: Dave Jolly

Other highlights that Brian discovered for the database include; Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterloepis) also in Bruce county, Smooth wild rye (Elymus villosus), Straw coloured flat sedge (Cyperus strigosus) of Niagara region and Swamp valerian (Valeriana uliginosa) in Grey county.  

Brian is also credited with adding the 100,000th official plant record to the database in Niagara region with Pale smartweed (Polygonum lapathifolium) observed on August 29th.  Congratulations Brian for making that contribution, which will go down in EARTHQUEST history as very significant!  Since his first contribution on June 7, 2009 Brian has provided 7629 total records, which is the most out of over 90 contributors (55 of which were students or staff from EARTHQUEST).  

Of the 12 counties surveyed most of my new records for the database were wetland plants found in sensitive coastal wetlands such as Alpine rush (Juncus alpinoarticulatus), Fringed gentian (Gentiana vigata), Hard stemmed bulrush (Scirpus acutus), Marsh mermaidweed (Proserpinaca palustris), Marsh muhly (Muhlenbergia glomerata) and Purple agalinis (Agalinis paupercula).

Fringed gentian (Gentiana vigata)

Photo: Dave Jolly

Additionally, a total of 13 provincially, regionally and locally rare plants were observed in the lower Bruce peninsula on behalf of a great environmental non-profit organization: the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation; 31 records of provincially and federally special concern Tuberous indian plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum), 5 records of provincially rare plants such as Dwarf lake iris (Iris lacustris), 30 records of Stiff yellow flax (Linum medium) and 9 records of Blueleaf willow (Salix myricoides). Tuberous Indian plantain, Dwarf lake iris, Stiff yellow flax and Blueleaf willow are also listed as rare in the Checklist of Vascular Plants for Bruce and Grey Counties, published by the Owen Sound Field Naturalists in 2003. Ten regionally rare (within the Mixed deciduous forest region: Ecoregion 6E – source; EARTHQUEST Plants of Ontario database) plants were discovered within surveyed Ecological Land Classification polygons; Fringed gentian, Kalm’s St. Johnswort (Hypericum kalmii), Marsh St. Johnswort (Triadenum fraseri), Marsh mermaidweed, Greater arrowgrass (Triglochin maritimus), Slender or Lesser arrowgrass (Triglochin palustre), Fen beakrush (Rynchospora capillacea), Low calla mint (Calamintha arkansana), Sticky false tofeldia (Tofeldia glutinosa) and Stiff yellow flax. Additionally, Upland white aster (Solidago asteroides), Fringed gentian, Kalm’s St. Johnswort, Marsh St. Johnswort, Marsh mermaidweed, Greater arrowgrass, Slender or Lesser arrowgrass, Fen beakrush, Low calla mint and Stiff yellow flax are locally rare within Bruce county.

To view the August 2013 month summary please refer to; http://www.earthquestcanada.ca/August2013summary.pdf